Development: Your baby already has all of the features that it will be born with but doesn’t have much space to move around in inside the womb.

Schedule: If you’re still at work, it might be time to think about taking leave or at least not driving yourself to and from the office.

DAY 1 • OF WEEK 35

How to identify the mucus plug

The mucus plug acts like a cork, closing off the entrance to the cervix while you are pregnant. In the weeks leading up to childbirth, this cork will dislodge and start to break down. You can usually spot it as different to your normal discharge because it is much thicker and has some dark blood in it.

DAY 2 • OF WEEK 35

IMPORTANT: You may have heard that in your third trimester you should abandon using hair products and other beauty treatments. This is not true! All you have to do is find options that are suitable to use when you are pregnant. There are many available meaning you don’t have to stop your usual regime.

DAY 3 • OF WEEK 35

Breastfeeding shells

Breastfeeding can be quite painful. In the beginning it can take time to get used to the process. Then once you get going, your nipples can feel sensitive and become cracked or sore. Breastfeeding shells are wonderful products that help to protect your breasts and make the whole thing a bit easier.

DAY 4 • OF WEEK 35

IMPORTANT: By now, you probably can’t really fit into any of your old clothes. Don’t worry, there are many beautiful maternity options out there in the stores. Just make sure you are now wearing comfortable clothes that don’t restrict or put pressure on your abdomen.

DAY 5 • OF WEEK 35

What you can and can’t do while pregnant

You will hear about a lot of things that you can’t do while pregnant. There is some truth in the fact that your life must change because it’s important to give your baby the best possible chance to develop correctly. However, your lifestyle doesn’t have to change completely. Life can actually continue close to what is normal for you.

DAY 6 • OF WEEK 35

Driving when pregnant

The further you progress in your pregnancy, the more important it is to minimize the time you spend behind the wheel. If you have to drive, be sure to wear a three-point seatbelt and tilt the steering wheel upwards. This will help to protect your baby should you get into an accident. The seatbelt will put less pressure on your abdomen and the air bag won’t deploy directly onto your belly.

DAY 7 • OF WEEK 35

IMPORTANT: If this isn’t your first child, be sure to include your other kid or kids in the whole process. Make sure they know that you aren’t replacing them, but adding to the family. It can be a confusing time, especially for a young child.

Key takeaway box

1By week 35, your baby is moving around quite a lot and you may be surprised at how vigorous some of those movements can be.

2Your baby now has all of the features it will be born with and all of the organs are in working order, except for the lungs.

3You are in the final stretch now and your anxiety levels can start to increase as you imagine going into labor.

4Your body will start experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, and you may find it difficult to sleep at night.

5Drink plenty of water and juice to stay hydrated, but avoid teas and anything that acts as a diuretic and will increase your need to urinate more often.

More information about week 35

By week 35, your baby is able to move around quite a lot. You may actually be surprised by how much it does and by how vigorous the movements are. In fact, other people will now be able to feel very definite movements when placing a hand on your stomach.

Baby development

Fetal development now is virtually complete. Your baby has all of its features in place and all of its organs are working – except the lungs. These will complete their full development usually just before you go into labor as they are not actually able to work until after birth. The next few weeks are all about growth and your baby can put on up to 30gm per day now.

At 35 weeks, your baby should measure about 44cm and should weigh roughly 2.2kg. It’s in the final stretch of development and will get bigger very rapidly now. You’ll find that things start to feel quite tight in your abdomen as your baby fills up all of the available space in the womb. You’ll also notice that any movements from your baby are very pronounced now.

How mom is feeling

It’s the last leg of your pregnancy and you’re nearing the big moment. This means that your anxiety levels can definitely start to go up. It may feel like the time is just dragging now, but try not to let it become a big deal. Take a moment to enjoy the quiet before the storm.

If you are pregnant with twins or more, just know that you might be closer to going into labor than you think. Twins usually only go to week 35 or 36 because there is just too little space for them to grow anymore inside the womb.

Unfortunately, all this growing and filling up of the space inside you means that you could be in for some sleepless nights. You might also start to get cramps in your muscles. Braxton Hicks or training contractions are also likely to start hitting you at irregular intervals from now on.

Be sure to make time for resting in your daily life. This is especially important if you are still at work and haven’t gone on maternity leave yet. An afternoon nap might not be possible, but taking a break from sitting at your desk can be a big help. Take a little walk, stretch your legs a bit and relax.

By now, your gynecologist has probably requested prenatal appointments as often as once a week or once every two weeks. This is also the stage when you will be tested for Group B Streptococcus (GBS). If you test positive, you will be given antibiotics to take when you go into labor in order to protect your baby from infection.

External factors

By week 35 you may very well feel like the queen of urinating! Your baby is now very large and is pushing down heavily on your bladder. It’s important to stay hydrated, but also try to limit the amount of diuretics you drink, like tea for example. Water, coconut water and fresh juice are all good things to drink.

At this stage you should also have decided what kind of delivery you want to have. Your gynecologist will help you to decide based on how healthy both you and the baby are, and how the pregnancy has progressed.

35/40

Weeks

6 weeks left

From adminfor Famivita

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O Trocando

Famivita is an informative platform for mothers, pregnant women and women who are trying to conceive. We provide objective information and presents possible solutions and paths based on reports and examples of women who have experienced similar situations.

The direct interaction and possibility to ask questions are integral parts of the Famivita community, besides providing useful tools like fertility, pregnancy and baby name calculators.